I Can't Judge You?

The following is not because of my age, I wouldn't likely be considered "old" by very many people. This is something that doesn't seem to make any sense to me, and it didn't make any sense to me when I was the same age as the group of people that I'm going to be discussing.

I'm talking about dressing funny, which tends to be a practice observed more frequently by teenagers than any other group. Not to say all teenagers dress funny (I never did), and not all people that dress funny are teenagers. That just happens to be where the two intersect most frequently. And by "dressing funny," I'm referring to various styles that appear to be for shock-factor (though that may not be the intention). The most common of these is the "goth" look. Usually this is bleach-white skin (though it's often a wonder how that's possible in Arizona) accompanied by all black (and sometimes red) clothes and make-up.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone dressing this way, or any other way as they choose. That's not what this entry is about.

Let me note a couple of things that I've observed. It seems that when someone dresses out of the norm, they are very defensive about comments that others make. They'll often say something to the effect of "you shouldn't judge me by the way I dress."

However, here comes the inconsistency. Ask someone, perhaps from this same group of people, why they dress this way. Very few of them will say it's because it's comfortable, and I would agree simply by looking that it doesn't look comfortable at all. Most of them won't even say that they do it because they think it looks good. The most common response will be something like, "because it reflects my personality," or, "this is how I express myself."

Now wait a second! If your clothes are a reflection of who you are on the inside, they show your personality, and they are what you use to express yourself, then what better way is there to judge you then by what you wear? In fact, based on those answers, that's exactly how someone dressing "funny" should be judged, because they are dressing that way as a way of expressing their personality.
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